Officials said no animals would be housed in the jaguar enclose until the investigation and repairs are complete.

Audubon Zoo is home to two jaguars, Ix Chel and a 3-year-old male, Valerio. Ix Chel, a female jaguar, was in a separate indoor habitat during Valerio's escape.

Officials said veterinarians had to prepare tranquilizers and position themselves to get a good line of sight on the jaguar once the escape was reported. Once darted, officials said the jaguar was sedated within minutes. Valerio was then returned to his night house, officials reported.

"We perform drills annually and have protocols for this exact situation to ensure that emergencies of this kind are resolved as safely and quickly as possible," zoo officials said in a release Saturday afternoon.

Zoo officials said they will not put the jaguar down under any circumstance. They added that the zoo passed accreditations in April 2018, and must go through the accreditation process every five years.